Cooper DuBois Portland CEO of Truly Social Games from Portland, reveals what makes a good game.

Gaming, initially considered a hobby for a few male teenagers, has experienced exponential growth in recent years, so much so that in 2016 it exceeded 30 billion dollars in turnover, with annual growth rates. They are expected by 6% by 2021.

The explosion in the popularity of the game on different devices – think of the spread of e-sports – and the accessibility, in terms of costs, of new hardware and software designed for the game is attracting more and more gamers and helping to change the perception and the “rules” of the gaming community.

Cooper DuBois Portland CEO The profile of today’s gamer

Several surveys confirm that today’s gamer no longer corresponds to the stereotype of the lonely teenager who plays secretly from his parents: he is a colleague with two children, the boy who goes to the same gym as you or, more simply, your partner, your brother. or a friend of yours. The thing that unites all of them is that they proudly define themselves as “gamers.”

Gamers have no problem sharing their enthusiasm for gaming: many of them claim to have involved three to four friends or family members in this passion. Thanks to this acceleration, gaming has become mainstream, and many are betting that those who have not yet been “infected” will soon be.

Cooper DuBois Portland CEO What are today’s gamers looking for?

Cooper DuBois explains once populated only by children, the Portland, and other major cities gaming community is now heterogeneous.

when it comes to playing, the opponent can be of any ethnicity, political faith, and sexual orientation: the thing that matters is his ability to play.

Essentially today’s gamers are looking for a beautiful game. It might seem trivial, but it’s not just the graphics or the story that makes a game attractive, although they are the central judgment meters to use to evaluate a videogame product.

In short, the answer to the question posed cannot be found by referring to a trivial label (such as the game graphics) but a set of the latter, combined with other less known ones. A mix of parameters of all kinds is called “user experience.”

What makes a game better than the next

To be precise, the term user experience is used for all technological innovations. It refers to the set of sensations and perceptions that the user develops through the latter’s use.

On the other hand, there is an even more technical term, namely the player experience, the player’s experience during the game.

It is this last variable that then leads us to classify games as good or bad. But overall, what guides our player experience?

Scenic aspects: of which graphics and plot are a perfect example. The first allows us to develop the impression of really being in the world in which the game takes place; the second, if present, helps to immerse oneself in the history, experiences, roles, and so on that the videogame provides.

Usability aspects: strictly dependent on construction in terms of game programming. Usability in video games is called playability and refers to translating the player’s intentions directly into digital reality to increase their involvement and immersion level.

About Cooper DuBois: Living in Portland, he loves auto racing and is an avid philanthropist.